HP Inc—HP and HPE settled age discrimination class action for $18 million
After seven years of litigation, HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise settled age discrimination class action for $18 million in September 2023. Lawsuit alleged CEO Meg Whitman directed company-wide policy starting around 2012 to transform workforce by pushing out older employees and aggressively hiring younger ones. In August 2013, HP's HR department issued guidelines requiring 75% of new hires be 'graduate' or 'early career' employees. Internal documents maligned older employees as 'traditionalist' and 'rule breakers.' Whitman expressed desire to change age makeup from a 'diamond' to 'quite flat diamond' with 'lots of young people coming in right out of college.' Between July 2012 and February 2017, there were 29 age discrimination complaints against HP in California alone. Court granted collective action status in April 2021.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Inclusion | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Corporate Governance | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Worker Rights | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.443 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)× agency (reactive ×0.75)
Evidence (1 signal)
HP and HPE settled Forsyth class action for $18 million after seven years
In September 2023, HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise settled the Forsyth age discrimination class action for $18 million after seven years of litigation, arbitration, and mediation. District judge Edward Davila granted collective action status in April 2021, setting a 105-day notice period for those with similar grievances to join. The lawsuit alleged CEO Meg Whitman directed an unwritten company-wide cost-cutting policy starting around 2012 to push out older employees while aggressively hiring younger ones. August 2013 HR guidelines required 75% of new hires be 'graduate' or 'early career' employees.